Beverage cooler



July 18,1950

M. M. FIBUS BEVERAGE COOLER Filed Nov. 29 1946 attorney Patented July 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PAT OFFICE BEVERAGE COOLER Murray M. i ibus, Youngstown, Ohio Application November 29, 1946, Serial No. 713,142

2 Claims. (o1. 62- 141) 1 Y This invention relates to a beverage cooler .and more particularly to a device wherein mechanical refrigeration is employed for cooling beverages,

container adapted to serve as the evaporator of a mechanical refrigeration system.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a ,bevarage cooler including a cabinet and a container therein, the said container having a plurality of partitions therein dividing the .same into a plurality of liquid holding compartmerits. I

The beverage cooler shown and described herein is particularly adapted for chilling fruit juices and other liquids commonly served as beverages and is of a size and shape facilitating its placement on the back bar or counter of a tavern or restaurant and adapted to be connected to a mechanical refrigerating system including a compressor and in alternate form including a compressor as an integral unit thereof.

The particular novelty in the disclosed device is believed to reside in the formation of the liquid receiving compartments in the inner container thereof and in the formation of this inner container as an evaporator of a mechanical refrigeration system.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 3 is a top view of a modified form of the beverage cooler with parts broken away and parts in cross section and showing a refrigeration compressor in connection therewith.

By referring to the drawings and Figures 1 and 2 in particular it will be seen that a beverage cooler has. been disclosed which consists of a cabinet iii having a top It and enclosing an inner container lfl spaced with respect to the bottom, side and end walls of the cabinet ID by means of insulation it. The inner container I2 is subdivided into a plurality of compartments by means of partitions M which are positioned transversely thereof. Each of the compartments formed by the partitions M in the container I2 is adapted to receive liquid to be chilled and in order that liquid may be conveniently introduced thereinto openings 15 are formed in the top I I in registry with each of the compartments formed by the partitions M in the container 12. Resilient gaskets it are positioned in each of the ..ppenings 55 which are thereby adapted for the satisifactory reception of inverted bottles or jugs l7. Forexample, one of the compartments in the container l2 may be of a size to hold a gallon of beverage and a second gallon of beverage in the jug ll may then be placed in inverted position in registry with the gasket 16.

V the drawings.

Figure 1 is a front view of the beverage cooler with parts broken away and parts in cross section.

Figure 2 is a top view of the beverage cooler with parts broken away and parts in cross section.

Stillreferring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be observed that the side and end walls of the container l2 are of double thickness, the exterior wall thereof being indicated by the numeral l9 and being preferably corrugated so as to form a plurality of channels 20 about the inner wall of the container I2. The corrugations engage the said inner wall to form a plurality of parallel paths for the flow of a refrigerant. The channels 20 are separated by a vertical partition 32' extending the full height of the wall l9. Tubular connections 2! are pro vided and establish communication with the channels which surround the container l2 so that a refrigerant may be directed thereinto through one of the tubular conduits 2| where it flows through the double walled container [2 and back to the compressor through the other one of the conduits 21. The double walled container thereby serves as an evaporator in a mechanical refrigeration system.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that if. desired the same double walled construction maybe followed in forming the bottom of the container I2 in addition to the side and end portions thereof if the added cooling effect is desired.

It will thus be seen that a simple and efficient beverage cooler has been disclosed which is of relatively compact design and capable of eflicient operation in cooling beverages and providing for dispensing the same in that it forms an integral part of a mechanical refrigeration system and is thereby capable of most effectively refrigerating the beverage placed therein. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the necessary expansion valve, condensor and compressor are needed to form the operating mechanical refrigerating systems in connection with the evaporator forming an integral portion of the beverage cooler as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. As these parts are well known in the art, they are not illustrated herein or further described.

The invention may be modified if desired by shortening the cabinet or increasing its length and including a compressor in an end compart ment in order to form a, completely self-containing unit. By referring to Figure 3 of the drawings such modified beverage cooler may be seen to comprise an outer cabinet 22 and an inner container 23 spaced with respect to the bottom, side and end walls of the outer cabinet 22 by municate with the channels 26 and with a compressor and condensor unit 28 which is disposed in a, compartment 29 in one end of the outer cabinet 22. The cabinet 22 is also provided with a top 30 and a plurality of spigots 31 each of which communicates with its adjacent compartment in the container 23. In the same manner as the construction heretofore described and 4 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. The top 30 of the device is provided with openings 3| and gaskets 32 thereabout and adapted to receive jugs indicated by the numeral 33.

It will thus be seen that a simple and efficient beverage cooler has been disclosed which may be formed in either one of two styles, one style of which is connected for operation to a remotely located mechanical refrigeration system and the other style of which incorporates the complete refrigeration system therein. In both forms of the invention the evaporator portion of the rerefrigerating system forms the beverage container and is preferably but not necessarily subdivided into a, plurality of compartments into which various beverages may be introduced for cooling.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a beverage cooler a container, means for withdrawing a beverage from the container, means cooperative with the outer surface of the container to provide a fluid circulating passage, said means comprising a horizontally corrugated panel sealed at its upper and lower edges to the side walls of the said container, a vertical partition between said corrugated panel and said container and inlet and outlet orifices in said corrugated panel one on each side of the said vertical partition whereby a refrigerant ma be introduced into the said area between the horizontally corrugated panel and the said container for cooling the contents of the said container.

2. The beverage cooler defined in claim 1 and further characterized by the positioning of a plurality of transverse partitions in the said container.

MURRAY M. FIBUS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 7 1,989,588 Cullen et a1 Jan. 29, 1935 2,124,110 Hall July 19, 1938 2,356,778 Morrison Aug. 29, 1944 2,433,977 Bently Jan. 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 377,398 Great Britain July 28, 1932 

